Year of the Boar, Eighth Month, Day 3.

My plans to send Chiyo for a supply of opium have failed miserably. She cannot ride a horse, or at least she says she cannot and even I would not expect her to travel so far on foot; not on her own. I suppose I could send her with someone else but the likelihood of the entire House knowing my business increases tenfold if I do that. Why I should care about something that trivial when the House knows the most intimate details of my life already, I cannot imagine but somehow it seems very important to me just now...
I asked Atsuko to see to the arrangements for the move to the Summer House; I did not have the energy for another argument with Nanami and I realised when I sat down to make a list of things I would need that I had not the faintest idea what this move entails.  I have not managed to think of a suitable way in which I can trap Izumi into giving herself away so that is another thing I may add to the list of today's failures. At least Crystal seems to have cheered up. If only Broken Rampart had not gone - he would have had the truth out of her in half a stick. She came in again this morning; we made small talk over tea and some sweets. The chef has been experimenting with some new recipes he appears to have acquired from the Seventh Kingdom; the sweets looked like my usual favourites but inside, instead of red bean paste, he had used lotus paste mixed with chopped nuts. I must admit that I did not know quite what to make of them. Either Izumi did not notice that they tasted completely different or the chef has been 'testing' these recipes for quite some time... She seemed so... controlled... almost detached this morning. She gave so little away that I had to wonder whether she knows that I suspect her; each time I attempted to ask a question that was even faintly probing, she managed to deflect and obfuscate. I am none the wiser. I need a more experienced hand than I at this but I have none...